Bali - Jan 2005

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Arrived at Denpasar Airport after our 6 hour flight from Sydney on time, around 4:30pm.

As we arrived we were told on the plane by the pilot that it was around 36 degrees which didn't sound so bad. Although when we got through customs and outside the airport the humidity really took over and was really hard to come to terms with. We got a taxi to our hotel which was called the "Flora beach Hotel" in Kuta. This place was very ordinary, small, dirty and the doorknob practically falling off the door. If I had travelled to Bali or even overseas before and had the experience it probably wouldn't of worried me, however this was my first trip and felt very unsafe.

We then left our gear and went for a walk around the streets. Now from what I had heard the Balinese are very extremely nice people however ted to do whatever they can for you to buy something from their stores and side stalls. The culture here in Bali is very different from the culture back home. However, I'm really looking forward to meeting new and different people of this trip and experience all that Indonesia has to offer. During our walk around the local area we decided it be the best if we looked for another hotel as we just didn't feel safe at "Flora Beach". It was then we decided to get a taxi to a hotel called "Melasti Beach Resort" in nearby Legian. Jess's parents had stayed here before and really enjoyed their stay. We checked availability and booked a room for 12 nights. Made' the concierge gave us a lift back to Flora Beach to grab our gear and check out.

We then headed back to the Melasti to check in. It was then and there we met one of the nicest people we will ever meet on this trip. His name was Made'. He gave us a great deal where one of his friends would take us on a day trip anywhere for 200,000RUP which is around $30AUS. As night fell we decided to spend our first meal at the hotel restuarant. We soon discovered that western food isn't their speciality.

We woke on Day 2 around 7:30am and to another perfect day in Bali. We soon after headed straight down to breakfast. Our breakfast consisted of fresh fruit.. Pineapple, Watermelon, Rockmelon and Paw Paw. Toast with either Pineapple Jam or Strawberry Jam, a mini bread roll and also a pastry. Aswell as bacon and eggs, omelettes and anything else you can think of. The Melasti restuarant looks out over the walkway and Legian beach which is a great view for breakfast.

After breakfast we decided to head around the local area and try and find somewhere to exchange some money. We walked past numerous stalls and shops with some amazing things. From DVD's to handycrafts. We found a nice little place and decided to exchange $600AUS which here is about 4,000,000RUP. In Oz you can get 6 notes however in Bali they feed out countless numbers of notes. And the main reason is to try and scam you and give the wrong amount back in RUP. We walked arounf and bought a few things e.g hats, shirts and a few other goodies. It was then we decided to grab a taxi and head up to Seminyak where we had dinner at a little restuarant called "Warung Made'" We both ordered "Gado Gado" and it was delicious easily the nicest thing i've eaten since I've been here. Gado Gado is steamed vegetables with peanut sauce. The Pineapple juice that I ordered was amazing, it was just straight Pineapple with nothing else added.

After dinner we went for a short walk around Seminyak and got a taxi back to Melasti.

Day3 we woke around 8am and headed down to get our free American breakfast once again. After brekky we decided to grab a couple of beers down at the pool bar. It was here we met a family from Melbourne who had been to Bali before and told us that they have a driver who takes them anywhere for 300,000RUP. So we realised we got a bargain through Made' friend. They also told us about a great sports bar just up the road called "The Stadium" where you can watch alot of Aussie sports going on at both home and overseas.

After our swim we decided to head down to Kuta to do abit of shopping. It was here I bought about 13 DVD's which ended up costing me about $14AUS. We headed home around 3:30pm and ventured up to the stadium sports bar. This place was awesome. With both AFL & NRL jerseys on the walls. We sat down and grabbed a couple of Bintangs and watched both the Australia V Pakistan one dayer and Lleyton Hewitt playing tennis. This place also had free pool and darts which made it even better. We decided to leave around 6pm otherwise we would of stayed there all night. We went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. Tonight we had chosen to eat at a restuarant called "Cafe, The Sand". Cafe, The Sand was on the beach at Legian and along the same strip of walkway adjacent with the beach. The restuarant was stunning, it basically tucked away in a tree and had both indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered Sate Campur it was around $3 for this and a couple of beers. Dirt cheap for one of the best meals of my life. Australian restuarants would easily charge close to $20 for this dish in this setting. Jess once again ordered "Gado Gado" which that to was amazing. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and had a few games of pool before heading up to our room.

Day 4 began the same as the other. Waking around 7:30 and heading straight down to breakfast. We had organised for Made's friend Sun to pick us up around 8:45 for a day trip to Ubud. Twenty kilometres north of Denpasar, Ubud is set in lush hills and is considered the cultural centre of Bali. Head off in any direction and you're in for an interesting walk to a secluded craft hamlet, through the rice paddies or into the dense Monkey Forest, just south of the town centre. Sun was very nice and took as to see the Borong Dancers, a traditional Balinese dance which cost us 50,000RUP. After the dance San drove us to a silver factory to see where they make rings and silver. Jess bought a ring for 120,000 bargained down from 300,000. We then ventured to a wood carving factory where we witnessed older Balinese men wood carving some of the most amazing handycrafts I had ever seen. Some of the bigger things they make take up to 3-4 months to complete which is still amazing given the tools that they are using. I bought a Journal from the craft shop here. We were once again on the road and the next stop was the monkey forest where we payed 10,000RUP to get in. The forest in actually called "Padang Tegal-Ubud" We stayed here for a good part of an hour before San drove us into the city centre of Ubud where we walked around the local streets and sat down and grabbed a couple of drinks in a cafe. After about an hour we walked back up the street to our meeting point with San for our trip back to the hotel. We got back to hotel around 3 where we just relaxed for a couple of hours until about 5 when we took a walk down to the beach to try and get a look at the sunset, however it was too cloudy. It was there that we noticed alot of rubbish laying around the beach which we straight away assumed was from the recent Tsunami. We then walked up the beach to a place called "Fins Bar & Grill" where we just sat and relaxed with a couple of Bintangs. After the about 20mins the heavens opened up and rain absolutly bucketed down and sent everyone on the beach running for cover and some of them into our little cafe where we were seated. It was here we met a couple of locals called Sonny & Tony. We sat and chatted for about an hour about everything. Tony bodyboards aswell and was telling me of some great secret spots in and around Bali. After dinner we headed back to our hotel and just in time too cos it started raining monsoon like and conitnued for the rest of the night.

Day 5 We woke this morning and the rain had cleared and it was yet again another beautiful day in paradise. Today we had lunch for the first time since we've been here at a place about 5mins up the road called "Legian Snacks". The place was small but nice. And I noticed a Byron Surf boards sticker on one of the walls which reminded me of home. Lunch once again cost us around $3. We ordered Mie Goreng and it was extremely nice for the price. After lunch we spent the rest of the day at the Kuta markets which was very cool. You can buy anything you want at these markets from DVD's to shirts to scarfs. We also went and checked out the Mata hari department store which is alot more expensive than the items on the street. But really Kuta markets just sell the same stuff as every other stall around Bali. I bought another 13 DVD's and a few shirts aswell as a little wooden drum. I met a little local kid in the CD shop who was wearing a Hot Lies badge and he said that they gave it to him which was pretty cool. He asked us for an Australian sticker for his bike however we didn't have one on us. After a thorough look around we decided to go back to the hotel and decide what was on the menu for dinner tonight. We decided to head back to Cafe, The Sand again and this time sat up in amongst the trees. Jess ordered a Green Curry and it was the hottest thing either of us had ever eaten. It was inedible so very hot. I ordered Sate Campur again and once again it was delicious.

Day 6 We once again woke up to yet another beautiful Balinese day. Our plan for today was to just chill out by the pool and then trek around the local area for some more bargains. We found our way to the bead shop early in the afternoon where Jess bought numerous amounts of beads and earrings. We then went back into Kuta for some more shopping at the markets. Where I bought a few more DVD's. We then ventured back to our hotel where we had massages and felt completly rejuvinated. A 60min massage costs about $5 was unbelievable.

Day 7 Today we planned to go to the Waterbom park but changed our minds and booked San again for a trip down to UluWatu and Jimbaran Bay for tomorrow. We got him to give us a deal for 120,000RUP as he was busy today with fellow tourists. We lounged around all morning down by the pool before heading to Legian Snacks again for lunch. We then decided to head into Kuta again today so i could find the box set of Indiana Jones DVD"S and sure as they had them and bought all 3 for $3. Something you would pay $70 here for. We decided to book dinner for tonight at a place called "La louciola" in Seiminyak. It's about the same price as an ordinary AUS meal but we had heard great reviews so decided to check it out. And this place was amazing, set on the beach in Seminyak overlooking the setting sun. La Louciola is a tree house style restuarant that's all open with superb views. We ordered Calamari with chilli mayonnaise and a pasta to share it was an awesome scene to have dinner.

Day 8 Woke this morning knowing that today was going to be a good day. We had booked our trip to Ulu Watu and Jimbaran Bay and we were both really looking forward to it. Ulu Watu is known for some of the best surf in Bali and was loooking forward to seeing it first hand. Today has been the hottest day here so far, easily 40c although it's hard to tell cos' it's the humidity that really gets to you. San was busy today so he's friend drove us to Ulu Watu and it was amazing. We payed 3,000RUP each to go to the Temple on the hill we took alot of pictures up there and all turned out incredible. The monkey's up here were crazy and stole peoples belongings. At one stage a monkey stole a tourists wallet and had to pay the monkey rangler to get it back. Ulu Watu was definatly a magical place to visit. Our next stop was Jimbaran Bar for dinner and sunset. We weren't really hungry so we just sat down and enjoyed the scenery while having a few quiet beers. We got hassled a little by passerbys wanting us to buy some of there stuff... e.g.. beads, watches and all kinds of different things. We finally gave in and bought a handful os beads and necklaces. When the sun had finally set we decided to go back to the hotel and prepare for dinner. Tonight we had decided to go to a Thai place just around the corner from our hotel in Legian. It was great with a very peaceful atmosphere, they sat us in little Thai Hut for dinner it was very nice. The meals were great aswell, we ordered Pad Thai & chicken for dinner.The chicken was great and one of the best things I had eaten since i've been here, it was done in an amazing sweet n' sour and capped off a great ending to a fantastic day.

Day 9 This morning we decided to go to Kuta markets for some more shopping and see what other bargains we could find before we left. I bought the 4 Star Wars movies for about $4 but that was about it. There wasn't many tourists here today which was great. We find another nice little place for dinner where I ordered Satay Chicken and Jess got a pizza. We then called it a day and went back to the hotel.

Day 10 Today we decided to head to the sports bar and watch the 1st final. It was a pretty good day howevere I felt that we wated the day a little. We had chicken strips with BBQ sauce for lunch which was once again really nice. We also ended up at Legian Snacks for dinner. On our way we got a picture with the security gaurd out the front who salutes you everytime you walk in and out of the hotel grounds. We ordered Mie Goreng for dinner and it was delicious as usual. The security gaurd wished us a happy and safe trip home as this was the last time we would see him while we were here.

Day 11 Today was bad day. I woke this morning around 2:30am to discover that I had somehow contracted Bali belly. It really took it out of me. Even just walking around, I walked outside to try and do something for the day and was just exhausted after only walking 100m. I talked to our other little friend made' at reception who said he would bring up some medication for me. And amazing enough shortly after I was feeling better. Not sure what it was called but it did the job which made me very happy. We decided to go to Cafe, The Sand again tonight for dinner. We both ordered Sate Campur and sprite. This sadly was our last dinner here in Bali and like usual it didn't dissapoint. We headed back to the hotel for an eearly night as we were heading to Nusa Dua in the morning.

Day 12 Woke this mornign to the joy that I had basically gotten over my Bali belly thanks to Made'. I only ate a few pieces of watermelon and pineapple for brekky fearing that anything more would trigger a new stint of Bali belly. We were picked up at 9 for our trip to Nusa Dua for water sports. We also picked up two other guys along the way named Kevin and Paul. Paul from Perth and Kevin from the outskirts of Adelade. We were greated by our little mate made' when we got there and sat down and figured out what we would do. We only just had eough money left for bananaboating, jetskiing and Parasailing so we stuck with that. Bananaboating was a little boring.Howver Jetskiing and Parasailing were amazing. They took us about 100+m in the air while parasailing view of everything even the reef below. After this we arranged out tranport back to the hotel and said our goodbyes to made' which made us sad. As it was him and another little concierge who also was named made' who made us feel right at home here. Kevin and Paul were dropped off at Poppies 1 for a few drinks while we went back to the hotel to pack for our flight home. Little made' then came up to our room to say our goodbyes, we couldn't thank him enough. We became friends right from the start and everything he did was amazing. Shortly after the little man who cleaned our room every day without even asking came in and said his goodbyes..... It was very sad and neither of us wanted to leave. Bali felt so much like home for me. At 5:45pm we headed down to check out and grab a txi for our trip back to the airport at Denpasar. We made it to the airport and met an NZ couple named Josh and Rebecca who spent 2 weeks in Nusa Dua.. We checked in about an hour later and then said our goodbyes to Joch and Bec as this would be the last time we would see them. The flight home wasn't the best. We didn't get a window, there was a baby, the food was pretty ordinary and it was really uncomfy.. or maybe I just wanna be back in Bali. We had waited so long for this trip and it came and went in a blink of an eye. Bali was incredible, i miss it. I miss the people we met, the friends we made especially everyone at the Melasti especially the 2 made's, the staff at Padma Stadium, the people we met and saw walking around every morning. Even a few Aussies that I'll miss.. the families from Melbourne and Wollongong, Kevin and Paul. It's sad to be leaving but i'm also looking forward to getting home and going surfing with mates and listen to music again. I have now adopted the travel bug and this will definatly not be my last trip to Indo.

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